Vevo released a new installment of Footnotes, taking viewers behind the scenes of the official music video for Beastie Boys’ smash hit “Sabotage,” on the 20th anniversary of their Ill Communication album released May 31, 1994.
The episode highlights Adam Horowitz’s desire for the group to dress as undercover cops during a stakeout. When director Spike Jonze arrived at a photoshoot in a wig and fake mustache, it resurrected the concept. Jonze likened “Sabotage” to the videos he made while in high school that featured weird glasses and fake mustaches. The music video pays homage to 1970s cop shows like “Hawaii Five-O” and “Starsky And Hutch.”
Additionally, the episode reveals that Ad-Rock came up with the idea to write a song about their producer trying to sabotage them when they were having trouble completing the album. This resulted in “Sabotage” becoming the final track finalized for Ill Communication. According to the group memoir Beastie Boys Book, the song initially experimented with a hook that used a Queen Latifah sample. The episode concludes with an Amy Poehler remark that without “Sabotage,” there would be no Anchorman, Wes Anderson or Lonely Island.